EVENTS
BY PATRICK GRIFFIN
FUSION VAPE LOUNGE. HUCKNALL, NOTTINGHAM - JUNE 24.
Having got horribly lost on my way to the first Fusion vape expo,
I was determined not to do so again this time round.
That lasted a good 20 minutes when I turned left at a roundabout
instead of right and ended up heading away from the event.
Once back on track I was soon in Hucknall and remembered
exactly where the Old Town Hall venue was.
The first thing I noticed was that Riot Squad was in town - their
distinctive van took up much of the small car park and was blasting
out music from its PA system.
People were sampling their e-liquids and as I got closer I could
distinctly smell the sweet aroma of their new Iron Bruise juice in the
air. However, unlike at the recent Vaper Expo UK in Birmingham,
there were no men in kilts to cause havoc this time round.
The expo began at noon and was set up very similar to last time
round - four rows of tables running from the front to the back
of the venue.
It was a bit of a tight squeeze but it did mean that you certainly got
to know the vendors around you and this did lead to a much more
intimate kind of expo which the grand scale of some of the larger
expos cannot replicate.
It was a very pleasant summer’s day and outside it was cloudy
and hot. Inside the hall, even though all the windows were open
for maximum ventilation, it was also cloudy and hot too.
There was a huge amount of vapour in the air - it would hardly
be a vape expo if this was not the case - and I was even able to
recognise some of the e-liquid flavours as the clouds wafted
past me.
110 ISSUE 12 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE
This is clearly one of the smaller events
on the vaping calendar but that does not
mean that it can be dismissed on terms of size.
There were a nice mix of exhibitors there and it was very well
attended and well organised.
As I mentioned earlier, smaller shows can have an intimacy
which larger shows may lack and it also leads to a more relaxed
atmosphere where nobody feels hurried.
It was nice to see people being free to take their time visiting stands
and chatting with vendors because this personal touch is really
what the vaping community is all about.
Sometimes at larger shows you feel you have to hurry along in
case you miss something and exhibitors may not be able to give
visitors the attention they need because there are so many
people there.
This event attracted a wide cross-section of people of all age
ranges and at different stages of their vaping journeys which
was great to see.
Fusion’s Expo #3 is due to take place at the same venue on
September 23 so if you are in the area it is well worth a visit.
There is no parking on site but there are pay & display car parks
close by and the Fusion Vape Lounge website (fusionvapelounge.
co.uk) has very clear information about getting to the venue by car
and public transport.